Gratitude

It’s raining and cold, a good day to practice gratitude.  These are the days I am aware of those who are homeless, those living in shelters or motel rooms, and those who do not experience the same benefits I do.  Gratitude is not a replacement for helping others, but gratitude opens the door to all the other positive attributes…what Paul called the gifts of the spirit.   Love, kindness, generosity, compassion, affirmation, mercy, forgiveness, patience, etc.  It is so much easier to be kind and patient, for instance, when I am filled with gratitude.  It’s so much easier to be generous when I am aware of all the things that bring meaning to my life.  It’s like Thornton Wilder once said, “We can only be said to be alive when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”  

On days like today, when it is wet and cold, little things like a hot cup of coffee are particularly satisfying.  Being able to stand by the window watching the rain reminds me of just how fortunate I am.  I think of the Palestinians trapped in war zones, their homes destroyed, little or no food available, injured, and suffering, and I wonder what I’ve done to deserve the life I live.  Like the Psalmist,  I offer up my questions and my praises, grateful for this life even while being very conscious that we all need to do a better job of helping each other, of being less selfish, greedy, and demanding.  After all, that which separates entitlement from privilege is something as simple and profound as gratitude.  While none of us are entitled, some of us are fortunate to be more privileged, and with privilege comes responsibility.

Gratitude is humbling.  It enables us to think lightly of ourselves and deeply of the world.  It moves us to give thanks for blessings not yet received and for painful lessons that bring us wisdom.  In fact, gratitude may well be the highest form of prayer, for what is gratitude but worship and praise?  

There was a time when I discounted the little everyday things that make life go around.  I thought my life was boring, meaningless, insignificant.  As I’ve aged,  I come to understand that it is not the big things that are most important but the daily stream of little things that bring true happiness, joy, and comfort.  In fact, looking back over our 63 years of marriage, it was the little kindnesses that we shared with each other that shaped our love and family experiences.   In the end, our life’s work is loving the world, and the way we do that is by gratefully choosing to seek out and appreciate the inexhaustible stream of blessings that comes our way each and every day.